THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
tributary of the Yangtze which empties at
Woosung into the southern channel of the
river.
Of China, too, is Shanghai, but it still
is not China; foreign commerce has had
too much of a hand in shaping the city's
growth. There is a great commingling of
foreign and Chinese elements, but the ratio
is ever changing, as one will observe in
visiting different portions of the expan
sive city.
As one's steamer cleaves the muddy
Yangtze waters and enters the Whangpoo
on the approach to Shanghai, there is little
to indicate that one is entering China un
less a fleet of native fishing junks happens
to be moving out to sea at the time. The
river banks are lined on both sides with oil
supply depots, smoking factory chimneys,
warehouses, silk filatures, repair docks, and
strange things of foreign import.
SKYSCRAPERS RISE ABOVE THE BAZAARS
To-day the skyline that marks Shang
hai's water front is decidedly occidental in
appearance and most strikingly impres
sive-an effect due in part, perhaps, to its
contrast with the flat alluvial plain rather
than to the actual heights of the buildings.
Until the present century, low, commodi
ous Chinese buildings or two- and three
story structures served a majority of the
business concerns; but the introduction of
excellently equipped modern offices has in
itiated a period of extensive building.
The tendency of Shanghai's building
program has been distinctly skyward in the
last few years because of the congestion in
the business areas occasioned by its mete
oric expansion in trade.
Construction of tall buildings, however,
even those of eight and ten stories, pre
sents considerable difficulty to the architects
because of the nature of the footing upon
which the foundations must be laid. The
soil is entirely alluvial deposit of the Yang
tze; but, in spite of the obvious handi
caps, architects are now exploring new
heights for Shanghai with io- and 15
story structures.
The Chinese, quick to appreciate this up
ward direction of city-building, have begun
erecting tall department stores, tea houses,
guild halls, and other structures which
bring them financial advantage and mod
ernize the appearance of Shanghai.
Radical indeed are the changes that have
taken place in architectural expansion since
I first came to Shanghai, only eleven years
ago, and the last five years have seen vast
alterations in the skyline of the metropolis.
In a few minutes' walk from the most
up-to-the-moment districts of Shanghai,
however, one can be in surroundings that
are little altered since the day when the
first foreign firm marked out its business
site in the muddy concession.
Within the Nantao district, at the south
ern side of the city, lies the old Chinese
settlement, or Native City. Moderniza
tion has been slow to move in this locality,
and native life takes much the same course
that it followed before steamship screws
began stirring up the muddy Whangpoo
around the fishing junks and sampans.
Even here, however, there have been
changes. Since the Republic has come into
existence, the old wall that surrounded the
city has been demolished. I have seen nar
row cobbled streets with open sewers run
ning down their centers gradually give way
to more cleanly concrete passages. Loath
some beggars have somehow been reduced
in numbers, although there are still more
than enough of the pitiable wretches wan
dering about the streets. A few timely fires
have been a godsend in clearing out sev
eral disease traps and pestholes, which
have since been rebuilt with somewhat bet
ter structures.
MODERNITY SPOILS TIE
"WILLOW
PATTERN" HOUSE
On the other hand, some fine things.
such as the "willow-pattern" tea house and
pool, spots of real beauty, have fallen from
their high estate. Coarse matting blinds,
rough, wooden kitchen extensions, and un
sightly advertisements have been the re
cent contributions to the building that once
found such popularity pictured on tea serv
ices for foreign homes.
Transition is slowly leavening the closely
packed lump, but it will be long before
those of the native district give up their
narrow streets and twisting alleys, which
are flanked with one- and two-story combi
nation open-front shops and family resi
dences. The Native City takes little cogni
zance of modernism which towers near by.
North of the International Settlement
lies the thickly populated Chinese district of
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